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Thompson: Experiment in bike commuting off to auspicious start

Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2005

OK, so it didn't kill me - on Friday, at least.

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And that's why I've decided to ride my bicycle to and from work for the next two weeks. Before committing to it, though, I wanted to have at least some sense of whether it would be practical. So, at the crack of 7 a.m. Friday, I hopped on my year-old K2 Blakely bicycle and pedaled in to the Athens Banner-Herald's downtown office from the east side of town, a journey somewhere in the neighborhood of seven miles.

I'm doing this in response to the deluge of letters to the editor the newspaper has received since the April 15 editorial - penned by yours truly, with the concurrence of the publisher and executive editor - which said bicycles are not a viable form of alternative transportation and, therefore, cyclists should not be allowed to claim any share of public dollars for bicycle-friendly projects such as bike lanes or rails-to-trails projects.

Jim

Thompson

more Thompson columns

A few letter writers suggested it might be advisable to try commuting by bicycle before dismissing the local cycling community's near-constant agitation for bike lanes. As I thought about it, it occurred to me those writers had a point. While I'm not sure at this moment the next two weeks will change my opinion on bicycle-related infrastructure, I hope that, at the very least, my willingness to try commuting by bicycle will give any future opining on the subject a core of credibility.

Here are the ground rules I've set for my little experiment. I'm not going to use sidewalks, trails, parking lots or any route other than a recognized public roadway in my daily commute. I'm going to obey all traffic signals. And I will make every reasonable effort to ride, regardless of weather. (A couple of confessions here: As a neophyte bicycle commuter, I was a bit leery of getting into the left-turn lane to get from Barnett Shoals Road on to College Station during my Friday morning ride, so I pulled into Barnett Shoals Chevron, waited for a red light to stop traffic on Barnett Shoals, and crossed over to College Station. Also, as I write this late Friday morning, the weather forecast includes a 60 percent chance of severe thunderstorms for the afternoon and evening. If the forecast turns out to be accurate, I will have caught a ride home, because I don't yet have proper rain gear.)

In case any cycling enthusiasts watching my adventure are worried the deck might be stacked against them because I'm not in the kind of physical condition that lends itself to a pleasurable cycling experience, let me put those fears to rest.

While I'm not ever going to participate in the Twilight Criterium or the Tour de Georgia, I'm not exactly a cheese-puff-munching couch potato, either. I run a 5K each morning (except Saturdays) on the treadmill, and I'm now doing a 10K run each Sunday morning as I gear up to participate in this year's Peachtree Road Race, a 10K run staged in Atlanta each July Fourth. I ran the Peachtree last year, finishing in just over an hour - nothing to write home about, I know, but not bad for a guy whose long-standing love of fried chicken keeps him weighing in at a shade over 200 pounds.

So how did things go Friday morning?

Glad you asked.

I left home at 7 a.m., because I wanted to beat as much of the early-morning traffic as I could, and because I didn't really have any idea how long it might take me to get to the office. As it turned out, I got to work sooner than I expected, making the trek in a little less than 40 minutes, a minute or so of which was spent waiting for a chance to cross Barnett Shoals Road to College Station Road. My route took me along a section of Old Lexington Road to Barnett Shoals and College Station, then right on to River Road and Thomas Street along the edge of the University of Georgia campus, and another right on East Broad Street to the newspaper office.

I caught a couple of breaks on the way in. First, there was a lull in traffic when I got to the College Station Road bridge across the North Oconee River, so I was able to scoot across without competing for space on the somewhat intimidating narrow bridge deck. Second, I caught the green light at the Thomas Street intersection with East Broad Street and Oconee Street downtown, so I had no trouble negotiating the five-way intersection.

The motorists I encountered along the way were also a pleasant surprise. I'm sure I held up some folks where Old Lexington merges with Barnett Shoals, but there were no horn honks or angry gestures directed at me.

Most motorists, when it was practical to do so, gave me a comfortable berth, but I was nonetheless glad for the stretches of College Station and East Campus roads which include bicycle lanes. Just knowing I had a few feet of roadway in which to ride made those parts of the commute particularly enjoyable and hassle-free.

It is my plan to use this space next week, and the week after, to continue reporting on my bicycle commuting experience. In the meantime, if any of you veteran cyclists - and if I've learned nothing else in the last several days, I've learned there are a lot of you out there - have any advice or tips for making my commute easier, feel free to call me or send an e-mail or two.

And if you see me on the road, a wave and smile of encouragement would be appreciated. I'll be easy to spot - my bike is the one with the "My other vehicle is a Hummer" bumper sticker.

 Jim Thompson is editorial page editor of the Athens Banner-Herald. He can be contacted at jim.thompson@onlineathens.com.